- High potential games studios can apply for development grants
from the UK Games Fund’s new Content Fund
- £5 million available over next 18 months to get games ready
to release
- Funding increased as part of plan to maximise the potential
of the creative industries by 2030
Creative developers and studios can bid for new cash from a
multi-million pound government funded scheme to turn their new
video game ideas into market leaders - and potentially
score a hit such as Grand Theft Auto or Tomb Raider.
As part of the government’s plans to maximise the potential of
the creative industries and its Creative Industries Sector
Vision, the UK Games Fund (UKGF) has been boosted by an extra
£5 million of government funding to support domestic studios with
scale-up grants.
From today, companies can apply for the new funding which is
dedicated to getting games in development ready for market. The
expanded fund will also help to attract even more private
investment into this world leading industry - and compound the
total government investment into the fund which now stands at
£13.4 million from 2022-25.
The value of the UK video game consumer market was £7.05 billion
in 2022. It has more than doubled in value since 2013. Since
2015, the UK Games Fund (UKGF) has invested more than £8 million
to help more than 400 home-grown studios. Internationally
best-selling video games made in the UK include the Tomb Raider
and Grand Theft Auto series, Little Big Planet and Lego: Star
Wars.
Speaking at video games trade body Ukie’s annual general meeting,
held at the W.A.S.D. video games conference at the Truman Brewery
in London, Creative Industries Minister said:
Our plan is to grow the creative industries by an extra £50
billion by 2030 - and we can only do that if we maximise the
potential of our world-class video games industry.
The UK’s reputation for creating video games is second to none.
We want to build on that success and I’m calling on talented
developers and early-stage studios to apply for the support they
need to make more groundbreaking titles which thrill gamers
around the world.
Alongside the new Content
Fund, UKGF will continue awarding grants up to £30,000 to
young video game developers and early-stage studios to turn their
drawing board ideas into working prototype games and showcase
them to investors. UKGF also supports graduate talent development
through its DunDev and Tranzfuser programmes.
The £5 million in additional investment has been used to
establish a new UKGF Content Fund, which will provide UK games
studios with £50,000 - £150,000 grants to support the development
of intellectual property, allowing companies to attract
investment and reach their next stage of growth. Investing in
video games at the crucial development stage will help UK studios
expand their businesses, and create new jobs in the creative
industries, which are one of the Government’s five priority
sectors to grow the economy.
Notes to Editors
- The UK Games Fund is run
by non-profit UK Games Talent and Finance Community Interest
Company (UKGTF). UKGF launched in 2015 and is based in Dundee.
